Trials of a Legend
by Teridax1234
Summary: ON HIATUS: Mata Nui arrives on a new world to battle his evil and deadly brother for the fate of a kingdom! But many minions of the Dark spirit stand in his way. With the help of two new friends, will he stop the coming darkness?
1. Arrival

Chapter 1- Arrival

The legendary Kanohi Mask of Life flew silently in the vacuum of outer space. Thought it seemed it were an ordinary meteor, it housed the mighty Great Spirit. In matoran, the phrase translated to a name: Mata Nui. Mata Nui has traveled for 400 millenia, battling dangerous extraterrestrial threats, such as the Decepticons and the Space Pirates, all led by singular, all powerful and near omniscient entity.

The mask eventually landed on a strange world in a strange open field. The planet was located in the outskirts of a galaxy far away from Mata Nui's home world .The kanohi rested in the crater for a long moment. Before long, a storm of particles swarmed around the mask as it created an artificial body so it could maneuver on this world. It was a golden form with blue lower legs and upper arms. Two gold blades were attached to each arm, while gold shin and ankle guards were placed on the legs. The chest armor was also gold. Resting on the head was the Ignika. Mata Nui surveyed his surroundings. He could sense a strange energy emanating from the vast lands. His analyzing, however lasted a mere four minutes befor he was surrounded by garbed humans wielding crossbows.

"You are in restricted territory, creature," one of them spat, "surrender at once." Mata Nui raised his arms in submission. The troops tied his hands with rope and led him off.

_Are you insane_, asked Ignika's consciousness.

_Patience my friend_, replied Mata Nui, _you'll see_.

Author's notes- This is mainly a crossover of LoZ and Bionicle. However, there are elements and foes from Transformers and Metroid, which will be explained in a later story that will take place 400 millenia before the events of this story. To any ZeLink fans, yes, that will be a main plot point in this story. It should be easy to follow, and, for more hardcore fans of all four franchises in this story, there will also be specific references to specific themes and other important aspects. Okay, so Ch 1 is short, but the later chapters will be longer, I promise.


	2. Interrogation

Chapter 2- Interrogation

Surprisingly it was not long before Mata Nui entered a castle with similar guards. Each shot him a disgusted look as he passed.

_Very well, Mata Nui_, said Ignika, _what is you brilliant plan? _

_I have read their unguarded minds. They aim to take me before a royal audience. With some diplomacy, I should be able to clear up this misunderstanding._

_ If that does not succeed_, asked Ignika.

_Simple_, replied Mata Nui, _I blast my way out_.

_And here I thought you were peaceful._

_ Quiet. We're here. _Mata Nui stood before a young girl who was standing on a raised platform crafted from granite. She seemed close to 13 years old, dressed in a pink silk dress. She had waist length blond hair and soft, azure eyes. They seemed deep enough to match Mata Nui star blue eye sockets. However, most noticeable, her ears were spiked like that of an elf.

_She is no human_, thought the former Great Spirit. She began to speak.

"So, why have you blown a dent on the plains surrounding this fair town?"

"I came to seek a power in order to-," he was cut off.

"Hmph. Your greed won't go unpunished. Guards-"

"In order to _protect_ it," said Mata Nui, with a little force in his words.

"Can't remember how many times I heard that one." Mata Nui shot an annoyed look at the source of the noise. It was a boy of 14 years, wearing a guard's uniform. He also had blue eyes, less deep than the girl's, and had spiked ears. The girl ignored his comment, but did not seem at all irritated by it.

"Very well," she said, finality in her voice, "I hereby sentence you to-"in the time it takes to blink, her mind was connected to a memory of shadow. Evil laughter rumbled in her mind. Darkness was everywhere. Crimson eyes that sang of doom formed from the shadow. She felt cornered by the Spirit of Death itself. It terrified her to a high degree. Mercifully, the memory ended. She was very unsteady for a moment, and fell to her knees. She hugged herself in sheer terror. The boy next to her gasped in shock and concern.

"Zelda!" He went to her side immediately. The princes, named Zelda, latched onto him very tightly. The boy glared at Mata Nui, whom connected Zelda's mind to a dreaded memory of his. "What did you do to her?" Mata Nui seemed unsurprised that this memory caused a reaction like this.

"From my memories, I showed her exactly who I wanted the energy to be kept from. This entity commands powerful and destructive forces." Just then, a deep, grating voice tainted with malice and madness reverberated throughout the throne room.

"_**I don't just command destructive forces**_," it said softly, "_**I am destruction**_." Pitch black shadow that was highlighted by electric red bolts surrounded the chamber and its occupants. Mata Nui was stunned.

"No," he breathed, "you can't be here!" The guards readied their spears, and the boy unsheathed his sword, keeping the princess behind him. Mata Nui himself unlimbered his own, unique blade and formed his shield.

"_**My foolish brother. Have you not realized that death cannot be brought to me when I already am it**_?" A guard decided to be even more foolish and yelled out 'why not'. A bolt of plasma erupted from the darkness and incinerated him in a fraction of an instant, if such a time frame were possible. "_**You shall **_**not**_** speak unless spoken to**_," commanded the shadows. Mata Nui had lost patience.

"Why are you here, Dark Spirit?"

"_**The same reason you are here. But the ancient power…**_," the shadow formed a pair of piercing crimson eyes that radiated pure malevolence. Zelda covered her eyes and turned away in horror. The eyes of doom narrowed its gaze to Mata Nui. _**"…shall be obliterated beneath my heel.**_"

"NO," cried Mata Nui, "I cannot allow you to exterminate another race!" The next sound that came was more horrid than the screech of a nivawk, more frightening than the roar of a kanohi dragon-it was the sound of the shadows' laughter.

"_**How very noble, brother. However, as pleasant as this conversation is, I'm afraid it must end.**_" The shadows began to hum ominously. "_**All those with ties to the Great Beings shall perish.**_" The ignika, at this point, did not think, it simply acted.

_Fighting him was a lost cause from the start_, it thought grimly. Then, with simple outreach of its powers, teleported those with a link to his forgers away from the Spirit of Evil. Soon, they were back on an empty plain in the middle of somewhere…

….

Author's notes- if you haven't figured it out already _**this text type **_indicates the voice of Makuta (I refuse to call him Teridax! He is too awesome for that!) . Oh and by the way, explaining Zelda's and Link's attitude, this story takes place around a week after the events of _Spirit Tracks_. I think I would be quick to judge too, if I was killed and was forced wander the earth as energy. I hope Bionicle fans caught the blatant reference in there…


	3. Exiles

Chapter 3- Exiles

Princess Zelda awoke in the middle of a grassy field. The last thing she remembered were those evil, malevolent red eyes…

_Stop thinking about it, _she chided herself_, or else you're gonna pass out again. _She noticed Link lying a few feet from her on her right. Several yards to her left was that gold and blue armored stranger. _He must have saved us from that evil monster. But why..? _She heard a groan behind her, and noticed that Link was awakening. She rushed over to his side t assist him. Once he was steady on both legs, she hugged him tightly. "Thank goodness! Are you alright Link?" He nodded in response, to weak to speak at the moment. They both broke their hug when they noticed a stirring from the armored stranger…

Mata Nui's eyes flickered open. Slowly, he rose. Noting he was still intact, he found Click the scarbax beetle lying on his shoulder. His sword was near his right arm. _What happened_, he wondered. It took him the space of four seconds to figure out who did this. _Ignika…_

_Yes, _came its raspy voice_, I did it to protect those who might be harmed by the one who destroys all. Frankly, I don't think this will be enough. We must find the source and defeat it!_

_Yes, but…_

"Um, excuse me!" Mata Nui whirled. He saw the two children from his questioning.

_Wait a second… Ignika said it teleported those who would be harmed to safety. The Dark Spirit sought to obliterate those linked to the Great Beings. Does that mean… _Ignika's voice echoed in Mata Nui's mind

_We do not tell them anything._

_Understood. I don't think they know of them anyway._ The two children ran up to the Great Spirit. At first, they were intimidated- he was a good 87 inches tall, and was just big. Not fat, but big. There was no other word for it. But Zelda recovered quicker than her friend.

"Sir, I apologize for earlier. I was just protecting my people. I'm Zelda."

"I'm Link," said the boy next to her. Mata Nui stood for a long while.

"I'm… Mata Nui." The boy looked at him thoughtfully.

"I don't mean to be rude, but may we call you MN?" The gold and sapphire armored being nodded. Zelda spoke next.

"Thanks for saving us from that monster earlier. But who was he?" Mata Nui turned away from them, just as the painful memories flooded back into his mind.

"He is everything that creation is not… the ultimate source of pure evil, the master of the shadows, the Spirit of Death itself… he is called _The Makuta._" When he turned to face them, they were both hugging each other in horror. Mata Nui sighed. He waved his hand to cure the fear they felt, forgetting what the mere mention of Makuta's name can do. They broke apart immediately and blushed. Mata Nui smirked. _Young love. _He read their thoughts and knew about it. However, more pressing matters had to be brought to light. "As you can see, he is so powerful that the Dark Spirit's _name_ can cause extreme horror." Zelda asked the one question that she knew Link was also thinking:

"How can we stop him?" Mata Nui turned his back to her grimly.

"No way to stop him has been found." Had he turned around, he would have seen a crestfallen Link and a close-to-tears Zelda. He pointed in the direction of castle town, which was surrounded in a haze of powerful elemental shadow. "Even the it may not seem like it, but there is a difference in power of the normal energy and his shadows. I call it annihilative shadows. It destroys all, or it 'creates nothing'. I'd really rather not go into a science lesson about it though." _(A/N: Don't worry, I will.) _Mata Nui paused for a moment. "The shadows he commands are unique. One bolt can probably destroy you completely, even the energy that flows through you." Zelda did not know what she could do.

_This sucks! Now what? Do we just give up?_ She began to sob, quietly so Link would not get worried and be angry at their powerful new ally. Then the voice an aged being who seemed older than the stars, said

"Not that you know of." The princess and Link turned behind them and stared at the newcomer. Mata Nui beamed.

"Guardian," exclaimed a surprised Mata Nui.

"Is that not what you told them, old friend?"

…...

Author's notes- Okay, ready for a sci fi lesson! Okay, so as most of you hardcore BIONICLE fans know, Makuta has 42 powers in addition to his control over shadow. But when you read what his shadow could do now you're all like "What, Makuta ain't that powerful!" Well, you sir, may not know that, on Spherus Magna, Makuta found a way to amplify his powers to an almost god-like extent. So now, he may destroy matter, its polar opposite, and the particles of light, photons. It's my way of making a villain seemingly impossible to kill. But there is a way, just not on the exterior. Oh, and he has a lot more powers that will be revealed soon (my ratings are _so_ gonna plummet :P).


	4. The Makoki Stones

Chapter 4—The Makoki Stones

The Guardian was nothing less than massive. He was a sharp 8 feet tall, and was more mechanical in appearance than Mata Nui. Certain spots of armor glowed, proving he radiated pure power. It also made him seem much more powerful than the Great Spirit. Mata Nui looked elated at his arrival. He walked up to the newcomer and shook his hand.

"It has been some time, brother." The Guardian shook his head.

"Yes, it has. But unfortunately, there is little time for pleasantries. The Makuta has struck. Now is the time to prove you can fight back." Mata Nui sighed. It was true, every time he confronted the Dark Spirit, he was defeated with simple bolt of darkness. He could not win or even last against the Master of Shadows. He knew his brother had a weakness to light, but he seemed to have defeated the fatal flaw—The Dark Spirit's armor was far too strong. Laced with shadow fibers, reinforced with red phazite, it was the strongest composite alloy, probably the strongest thing ever created. So that left the question:

"How?" The Guardian prepared a holographic image of six differently shaped stones.

"These six stones are the Makoki Stones, legendary and mysterious objects that appear and disappear in the story of time. Five have been scattered throughout these lands."

"And the sixth?" Zelda, as unfortunate at it was, could not contain her curiosity any longer. She ran up to the two, even though they were speaking a language unknown to her.

"Err… excuse me but, how can we beat that demon?" The Guardian looked towards the source of the tender voice.

"Princess Zelda." The princess of New Hyrule was nothing less than shocked.

"Um, how do you know my name?" The Guardian chuckled.

"I have watched your royal blood line since origins, your highness. I know all of your descendants' names." Zelda, expectedly, was skeptical.

"Name one," she said flatly. The Guardian smirked_. I am forgetting she is but a child…_

"Tetra, founder of New Hylrule." Zelda glared at him as if he had grown a second head. The Guardian chuckled. "I suppose that shall suffice." Link was just standing on the sidelines, observing the Guardian. He sensed this guy had a lot of energy, easily dwarfing Mata Nui's. And here Zelda was, completely silent out of shock.

_Guess she was not expecting that... well, neither did I. _The Guardian turned to Mata Nui and said in the unknown language

"Charming, is she not?" The next comment, lower and to himself, "I guess it runs in the family…" he continued on, explaining what the stones are for. "Once all six are gathered, a treasure shall be revealed, one which holds a great amount of power. Find it!" With that, the Guardian dematerialized, but left a gift—a crescent shaped stone. Now Link made the connection—he had seen a stone like this before. His former roommate Niko had saved a makoki stone for a long time. According to a tale, Tetra and her band of pirates, one of whom was Niko, raided a trading vessel. They had heard that a valuble treasure was located there, but it turned out to be a small tablet. Tetra, furious at the "waste of time" tossed the stone to the ground and stormed off in a rage. However, Niko saw a purpose for it, and kept it as a keepsake, somehow seeing value in it, even though he did not know its true purpose. The stone was also his most prized possession, held in even higher regard than his pictures. It was not going to be easy getting it.

Zelda walked up to the small rock and held it with both hands. She peered at it closely, noting strange glyphs on the stone. But it was of a foreign language to her. But it seemed familiar…

"Are you okay, Zelda," asked a concerned Link, eyeing her uneasiness. She was shaken from her thoughts and smiled at Link, who returned it. But her thoughts went back to the stone. She walked up to him.

"Hey Link," she began, "have you seen these glyphs before?" Link assayed it closely.

"No, can't say I have. But…" She knew the question he was suppressing—

_Haven't I seen this before? _But it was mystery for later. Zelda sighed and plopped down on the grass. Link sat next to her. They were staring into space for a long time when sunset had arrived.

"Look at the sunset," said Zelda, "it's so beautiful and compelling out here…"

"It sure is…" The hands of the two crept closer until they were holding hands, fingers interlaced as they were mesmerized by the sunset…

Mata Nui was at loss. Before the Guardian left, he had provided Mata Nui with this message—

_There is a shrine to which the stones are placed. Your first priority is finding it. _The first problem was finding it. On any given world, there was an infinitum of places to look, for the Guardian provided no hints to its whereabouts. Time was not on Mata Nui's side either. The Dark Spirit likely knew about the stones already, and was probably seeking them as well. Plus, the Spirit of Death was a much better strategist, and, by extension, a better searcher. But Mata Nui could not shake the feeling that the stones were related to the Dark Spirit somehow… Mata Nui looked to the sky, and noticed it would be dark soon. They could not remain here, for the Dark Spirit's minions were likely already hunting them. He turned around to find his two new friends were having one of those 'romantic moments'. _Just what I needed… _He cleared his throat. The princess and Link both looked in his direction.

"When you two are done not admitting your feelings, we must find a place to rest." The couple blushed. Link recovered faster than Zelda did and said

"I know a place."

….

Author's notes—I'm back with another explanation and trivia! I call The Makuta "the Dark Spirit" or "Spirit of Destruction" or even "Spirit of Death" because of his status- he really is Creation's ultimate enemy. Death is an aspect of destruction like annihilation, and he is quite literally is all of those things—those aspects can't exist without him. And only Makuta is aware of that fact. Everyone else-including the Great Beings—don't know this. Crazy fanfiction, I know.


	5. Shadow Village

Chapter 5- Shadow Village

How long Mata Nui was walking, he did not know. He was simply following Link, who stated there was a village, named Aboda, which they could remain for some time. Once they reached the village, Mata Nui saw street vendors which traded certain jewels for necessities, like food and clothing. It was an odd currency, but, being him, he had seen his share of money on plenty of worlds. The most unnerving so far was space pirate rations. Zelda caught eye of the former Great Spirit's curious gaze at the vendors.

"They're called rupees." Mata stopped and turned around to face her.

"Hm?"

"Rupees are our form of money," she continued, "you can find them anywhere—even in patches of grass!" Mata Nui stared at her, dumbfounded and questioning.

_Grass patches...?_ He decided not to press her further._ What a strange world…_

It was not that long before they reached their destination—a hut of some kind. Link smiled. This hut belonged to Niko, an old friend of his and former roommate. He fondly recalled all the tales Niko told—or at least the first five minutes of them. The trio entered. The scent of fish hit Mata Nui like a fist to the face. He hated fish, mainly because they were always attacking him. He had no pleasant experiences with marine animals, except for marine mammals. Mata Nui scanned the small space carefully. He then noticed the crescent shaped makoki stone as a centerpiece on a shelf. Using special equipment built into his optical systems, he used his suit's scanning feature to analyze the stone carefully. That was when he saw two word etched on there in matoran—_Makuta Kojol_. It was then he remembered what the stones were—in truth, the makoki stones were a record of the Brotherhood of Makuta, a secretive and powerful organization that, before it was fragmented by the Dark Spirit (who was the last of his race), helped govern Mata Nui's world. This was before the first leader, Miserix, was usurped by The Makuta. Then the Brotherhood was lead down a path of darkness which ultimately lead to their utter destruction, leaving their second and final leader left, who ironically was the one responsible for his fellow members' demise.

Eventually, the old man caught wind of their presence. He looked up from his crafts to see Link and the princess (though he did not notice her quite yet). The old man gasped and hobbled over as fast as his cane could carry him to see Link. Niko laid a firm hand on his shoulder.

"It's good to see you again Link."

"You too." Then, Niko noticed Zelda behind Link. He knocked Link to the side, who hit the wall, dazed. Zelda looked in his direction, ready to help him, but Mata Nui told her through telepathy

_I'll take care of it .You should focus on explaining to Niko how we wound up here._ Zelda hesitated at first, wanting badly to help Link, but she decided to follow Mata Nui's request, knowing Niko would likely be a little frightened by Mata Nui's appearance. He turned his attention to Link, using a telepathic surge to bring the young hero back to his sense. He quickly shook his head and shot Niko an angered glare. But the sailor did not notice, instead he was astounded that the princess would show up in such a remote village.

"Princess! To what do I owe this honor?" The princess turned away.

"We were attacked by an evil demon… thing," she said.

"Malladus," asked Niko, frightened.

"No, but someone more evil, more powerful, and smarter." Niko looked as if he did not believe it. Frankly, the princess of New Hyrule did not either. More powerful? Well, no contest there—Malladus or Ganon (the evil king Tetra faced) would have died of terror. Smarter? Yeah, she could roll with that, too. But more evil? No. Whoever he was, he was not as evil as Malladus or Ganon. She could not see that.

**Why not? **She froze in terror. The voice of the Dark Spirit rebounded in her mind. Now, she saw nothing but darkness. **Such idiocy. The shadows are everywhere. I am them… they are me. **The Makuta made the decision to begin a small taste of mental torture. **You are a foolish little girl. You have not the faintest idea of who I am… of **_**what**_** I am. Across thousands, perhaps millions, of inhabited worlds, I am the embodiment of destruction in all its forms. I am the embodiment of the darkness in everyone's heart. Evil, chaos, and destruction cannot exist without me. Do you truly believe you can destroy me? You cannot destroy me. No more than you can destroy the sea, the sun, the winds… or the void. The people of this universe are builders… but if you look into their hearts, you will see that they have the power to destroy. I am that power. I am destruction. And I WILL destroy **_**all of you**_**. **Finally, Zelda's mind snapped.

_Why are you doing this, _she whimpered.

**Is it not obvious? It is because you are far to valuable to kill. It is far safer to tear apart your mind… not to mention more enjoyable.** The shadows exploded. Zelda snapped back to reality for a brief moment before falling unconscious. Link ran to break her fall. She landed in his arms, eyes closed and breathing slowly…

Meanwhile, in the void of space, the Dark Spirit smiled. He got his point across quite nicely.

Link looked at her, on the verge of tears. Mata Nui went to her side, checking her vital signs with the scan visor. They read _target is stable. _Mata Nui was relieved. But his sense of relief vanished quickly. He saw a few tiny red sparks cracking from her body. Link noticed it too and became even sadder. Mata Nui knew only his brother could have caused this. Even from thousands of light years away, The Makuta could knock anyone out with almost no effort, for his will was unsurpassed, even by the Great Beings.

"She needs rest," he said. Niko, shocked, said,

"Take her to your old room Link." The boy obliged, and carried the unconscious Zelda to his old room. Niko looked at Mata Nui. "I take it you're a friend of their's?"

"Yes. The Spirit of Death has come to your world, and we need that stone to stop him." Niko shot him a hard stare. For a long moment he said nothing Then he walked to the shelf, grabbed the stone and held it to Mata Nui.

"Then take it. For Link and princess Zelda." The stone glowed golden, and floated to Mata Nui's hand, who strangely did not do that.

_Two are in our possession. But what of the other four?_ He walked to Link's room, all the while pondering on that last question.

Link looked at Zelda, while thinking angrily of The evil Makuta. He was now worried. When Malladus was defeated, he made a promise to himself that no other evil would harm Zelda again. And yet, one did, and this one was the source of it all… but anger quickly shifted to sadness when Link heard Zelda's soft, light sighing.

_Have I failed you? Was I not good enough?_ He was about to cry again when he heard Mata Nui's voice.

"You cannot blame yourself." Link did not even flinch to acknowledge his presence. He simply replied

"Oh really?"

"Have you sent her into unconsciousness? I don't think so." Link turned around to face Mata Nui, with an angered and hurt expression on his face.

"I _swore _to myself that I will never let anything hurt her again! And now look what happened!"

"Even if you made such a vow, you can't fulfill it without the other two parts. It goes unity, then duty then destiny. You believe your destiny is to protect her. No, that is your duty. Your destiny is only slightly different. But first, unity must be acquired." He then left Link to ponder on those words. Mata Nui hoped he got the hint…

…

Author's notes- I bet plenty of Zelink fans are sitting on the edge of their seats—it ain't happening yet, folks (cue angry mob). Anyway, if any BIONICLE fans knows of the Mata Nui Online Game, they will know that was the same scare tactic Makuta used on the Toa Mata. It worked very well on them, works even better on Zelda. And yes, Mata Nui has chozo equipment. For now, deal with it. Until this story is over, I won't explain that one. Also **bold letters **indicates Makuta's thoughts or when he is speaking to someone telepathically.


	6. The Hunt is On

Chapter 6- The Hunt is On

A lone space pirate was scurrying through the abandoned remains of Castle Town. He was part of the legion sent by their High Command under the orders of their master. It sighed inwardly. It had to admit, even though it wanted for nothing but slaughter and carnage, this was a little much. Sending the inhabitants to Mangaia was quite a horrifying fate. Megatron would have killed them on sight. Actually, the Decepticon leader had a distinct dislike for anything organic, meaning the pirates would be extinct had it not been for the Dark Spirit. The pirate trooper heard a roar in the distance_. Damn thing's acting up again_, it thought.

Megatron growled in impatience. He did not understand why this planet was so important to his master. _Why not accomplish mass murder on a planetary scale?_ He could imagine the reply:

_**Is it not more satisfying if they suffer and die in agony and insanity?**_

He found the Spirit of Death did not dish out death as a punishment—only the _extremely_ lucky ones received execution. No, most of them had their minds torn to shreds, which was far worse than death. But the creepy part was you would_ still_ be considered lucky if such occurred. Now, he found himself bored again. He spotted a passing trooper and grabbed him, crushing his insides and allowing greenish blood to flow out of the unfortunate trooper's wounds. In comparison to his master, this was nothing. Sadism to the highest extent may only be reached by him— the Dark Spirit once annihilated an entire _galaxy_ in less than 10 seconds with one shadow beam, simply as a test of his shadows' limits. Now, the time had arrived. He ordered the space pirates to begin building their base… _Soon, all shall tremble before our might!_

Vezon smiled. It was good to be alive. All the misery and pain around him, Matoran withering, Toa fighting, Skakdi killing… he could not have asked for a better home. Some called him insane, others called him dangerous. He preferred the phrase "crazily violent". He had to admit, Makuta was good at creating a world filled with death. In comparison to him, Vezon was on par with the Dark Spirit concerning insanity. Except Makuta could defend and reason, Vezon, not so much. He preferred going about his business—which was acting superbly in his mind, to anyone else, it was insanity. He touched his kanohi Olmak, fused to his face by a powerful substance. He had only recently learned how to use it, and when he said "learn" it actually meant "given". The Dark Spirit had to give him that type of control. He then saw at least a thousand skakdi on the march to the City of Legends, Metru Nui. Vezon decided he would "accompany" them_. This is gonna be good_, he thought.

Megatron smiled. The last of the base was constructed, and the computers were online. Though he could not track the Mask of Life, plus he could not decimate villages, he had to stick with ambushing. He ordered several aero troopers to begin flying around the land in search of Mata Nui. The hunt had, at last, begun.

Author's notes: Okay, filler. Deal with it. I have not run out of ideas, I have the chapters drafted. I just needed to introduce the secondary antagonists somehow. This seemed like a viable solution.


	7. Attack on Aboda

Chapter 7—Attack on Aboda

Mata Nui looked out at the sky, deep in thought. He took the time to smell the fresh sea air. While he despised fish, he liked the unique scent of the sea. It reminded him of a the day he and his companions back on his home world arrived at Tesara. However, rest was not an option, no matter how much he desired it. The Spirit of Destruction would order a squadron to attack, and could do so at any time. But, there was a bright side—with two makoki stones, they now had a head start. He looked back on the Guardian's gift. It told Mata Nui that the Brotherhood's members had 42 powers. That made Mata Nui apprehensive, and with good reason. For one, his brother was already the most powerful being in the universe, nay, the _multiverse_, and here was this stone informing him of another 42 powers on top of that. Not for the first time, he wished that he paid attention to his world. Perhaps, then, he would have his memories and not be in this situation.

_There is no time for regrets, Mata Nui,_ said Ignika.

_I know. I just hope I can defeat my foe._

_You can. You _must.

Mata Nui nodded to no one in particular, and looked up towards the blue sky.

Link's eyes fluttered open. He had evidently fallen asleep with his head on the right of the mattress. He lifted his head to see Zelda still fast asleep. He was worried about her safety more than ever now, now that he knew she was a target. But why? What does The Makuta want with her? He then heard a light yawn, breaking him from his thoughts. He looked to see she was awake. She rose slowly and looked to her left, then right. She saw Link, who had a look in his eyes that told her he was overcome with joy and relief.

"How… long were you there," she asked, more concerned about him than herself.

"Since you fell unconscious. I carried you here, a-and I … didn't want to leave you." She smiled at him.

_He's so sweet. If I could only muster up the courage to tell him…_ She knew it had to happen eventually; love could only be bottled up for so long. She looked outside the doorway and asked the question Link had been wondering himself:

"Where's Mata Nui?"

"I don't know. Before I dozed off, I heard he was going outside. To think…" she frowned. Zelda knew Mata Nui had a troubled past filled with nothing but a constant struggle. Plus, she was sure he knew what the glyphs said, and her curiosity was now overwhelming. She jumped out of bed and ran off to find him.

"Zelda, wait up," Link cried after her.

Mata Nui was still lost in thought when the duo found him. He eyed them curiously as they caught their breath.

"MN," Zelda huffed, "I noticed these strange symbols on the makoki stones, and I was hoping you could tell us what they said…" The Great Spirit's eyes widened behind his Kanohi.

_How the hell did she notice that?_

"I cannot tell you. The knowledge is forbidden."

"Can't you read it?"

"Yes, but—"That was when they heard a yell. Turning in the direction of the noise, they saw monstrous creatures at least 9 feet tall fire red energy from their scythes. Mata Nui growled in anger.

"Space Pirates," he said. He then received a message from the Guardian

_Use of the thornax launcher and morph ball bombs has been authorized._

_Authorized?_

_To protect the villages, some of your weapons are too powerful, so I have to restrict some of them for the time being. If this was a place like Norion, that's a different issue._

_Got it._

Mata Nui sent pulses of pure energy at the pirates. It hurt them, angered them, and got their attention. They ran to him, sending a volley of red energy blasts at the Great Spirit. Mata Nui sent four explosive thornax at the horde, tearing them apart, quite literally. Trails of green blood came from the flying limbs. Zelda and Link gagged, for the scene was highly gruesome. Link, even though he was absolutely disgusted, could not help but applaud Mata Nui's aim. None of the homes were seared. Mata Nui himself truly began to tear at the pirates. He began charging his power shots, slowing down the rate of fire, but still affecting them greatly. Suddenly, a pirate jumped Mata Nui, threatening to kill him. But Mata Nui grabbed the pirate and impaled him with his sword.

Surprisingly, it took five minutes to reduce their numbers by half. Link wasted no more time. He got out his light arrows and began launching them, impaling several pirates at once.

"Impressive," said Mata Nui.

"You've seen nothing yet," said Link slyly. He handed the bow to Zelda. "Princess, show him how it's done!" She smiled at him, thanking the spirits silently that she got a shot.

"My pleasure," she said. She turned to the pirates with a serious expression. She aimed for a line of pirates and launched the arrow. But it coincidentally bounced of a metal slate, and stabbed through another line. The pirates then knew the time to retreat was now. They ran towards the direction of Castle Town. "Take that back to your master," Zelda called after them. Link laughed and high fived her. He did not care how un-princess like that was, it was cool. And it added a little spice to her… he then blushed a little at the thought.

_C'mon, coward, tell her!_ No, he couldn't, not in front of Mata Nui. The Great Spirit turned to them and read both of their thoughts. He knew this "friendship" would build into something more. He had seen this sort of thing 400,000 years ago. And, from the couple's past adventures (mind reading, that's how he knows) he knew it would happen while he was here. But, there were more important matters to focus on. The Dark Spirit's minions made a move, and now it was his turn. It was time to find the third makoki stone. But, then

"Hey, MN," exclaimed Link, "Nice aim!"

"You're not so bad either, especially you, princess. Someone in your family must have taught you."

"My grandmother taught me a lot," she replied.

"She must have been an excellent archer," the Great Spirit replied. But a sudden shift in the air told him of another presence. Link and Zelda were wide eyed as soon as Mata Nui uttered the newcomer's title.

"Guardian." The being known as the Guardian, appeared.

"Each leads to the next…" he then disappeared. The two hylians behind him were stumped. But Mata Nui knew what that meant: Each stone, once gathered, leads to the next one. He pulled out the two stones and noticed they could fit together like puzzle pieces. When they did, they glowed green. He turned to the duo and asked, "Where must we go?" Link shrugged.

"No idea. But around here, travel is not possible without a train." Mata Nui pointed in the direction of the train station.

"You mean like that?" The princess and the hero were speechless. It was the Spirit Train! And it was intact! "The Guardian did this. Teleportation does come in handy…"


	8. Chapter Interlude: Death Rising

Chapter Interlude- Death Rising

The Dark Spirit Makuta bore into the darkness, a reflection of himself—pure, absolute nothingness.

**The shadows**, he mused, **are not separate**. **They are one… **_**me**_. His power was absolute, and unfathomable, even stronger than that of the three Spherus Magnan Gods. He remembered how it all began. After he fell before his brother in the ultimate struggle, his little slave workers were freed from the grip of fear. The matoran, the Great Spirit's chosen race... was, after 1,100 years, free. But it was not the end of Destruction like they believed it was. The Makuta told the Toa Mata that he could not be destroyed, for he was nothing. Over the course of the next 400,000 years, the Dark Spirit's powers had increased greatly, to the point where _completely_ obliterating a galaxy was a small task. He had also rebuilt and revamped Mata Nui's old body into something larger, more menacing, and better armored. Using the weapons at his disposal, he had accomplished much, nearing his ultimate goal… his destiny. But to break his brother, such was not an easy task. He had tried threatening his friends on Bara Magna, but it only angered the Great Spirit, which almost got him killed. He could easily break the children's sanity, but he preferred toying with his victims. Little by little, he would erode the princess' sanity, and in effect, Link will break because of sadness and extreme guilt. As for Mata Nui? Makuta would have to fight him one-on-one—but not yet. First, he had to serve his purpose. Then may he be led to Mangaia for a grand battle, but not the final one. Report had returned from Aboda, and everything was proceeding as he had forseen… now, all he had to do was get there first, and order his minion to take the stone there and await his brother.

Then his thoughts turned to his servants. Getting the Decepticons and the Space Pirates to work together was not easy. But there's nothing that a little threatening cannot do. He simply told each side that when he was in control of the entire universe, anyone who defied him could consider themselves a dead man. They agreed faster than a heartflash. But, in the end, they were both expendable in their own right. The Space Pirates were competent bunch, but at every turn they find themselves against Mata Nui. When that happens, they always fail somehow. But otherwise, they were decent soldiers. As for the Decepticons, they were easy to manipulate using promises of power, but their leader was troublesome in the fact that Mata Nui always comes close to killing him. The Makuta had wasted enough resources reviving Megatron. The one reason the fool was alive was to prevent Starscream from taking control. Sure, Makuta's powers were absolute, and so was his dictatorship, he gave the orders, along with the precaution of telling them how to do their task. But he knew Starscream would fail, and at least Megatron does not fail consistently. And then, naturally, the Dark Spirit would punish him horribly for his errors, but that wastes precious time, and time is power. Megatron got punishment enough when he is rebuilt, the Spirit of Death always sends out the order to make his revival as painful and as mentally distressing as possible. But if Megatron died again…

**I shall not waste any time or resources bringing him back… but it does not matter. With or without their help, the universe will be under my control. Then it shall be filled with nothing but shadows, misery, and death. **The next sound that came felt like distant thunder. It rumbled like an earthquake. The sound… was the Dark Spirit's evil laughter.

Author's notes- This no filler, it's quite integral to the plot. Makuta does not need character development, he got plenty of that. But the history behind all this was required. Eventually I will begin drafting the story of the Battle of Bara Magna's aftermath, but that's after my spring break in April.


	9. Secrets, Swords, and Legends

Chapter 9- Secrets, Swords and Legends

"That is your train," asked Mata Nui incredulously, "it is far too small for me to fit in there!" Link, unfortunately, had not considered that.

"Erm… I'm sure you could squeeze in there…"

"There is no point," said the princess, "We're gonna need—"

"A bigger train. I know," Link finished. The Great Spirit sighed and dissolved his body so that he was back to being a mask. The Kanohi Ignika floated in front of the two at their height.

"Then perhaps I should remain like this. Though people would find it quite strange to see a floating, talking mask…"

"They've seen stranger, trust me when I say that," said Zelda. "But anyway, where should we go now?" Link thought about it for a second_. The stones glowed green… green is the color of grass… but that's everywhere, right?_

_Then that leaves…_

"The Forest Realm!" Link and the princess came up with the solution at the same time. They awarded themselves with a high five, and Mata Nui chuckled slightly. Ignika, however, had different thoughts.

_Their little lovefest is beginning to bore me. Why can't beings be straightforward?_

_You were not either back in Karda Nui. I would shut up now if I were you._

"Hey, Mata Nui!" The Great Spirit became distracted from his small quarrel with Ignika. The two were calling to him. 'Let's go," said Link. Mata Nui nodded, a somewhat difficult feat as a mask.

The Ignika floated above the train for a time before it glowed golden, casting a barrier on the train.

"This barrier shall protect you from all outside threats, so you do not need to worry about any creatures attacking us."

"I wasn't worried," said Link, "that's why I have a cannon." Mata Nui's expressions were unreadable in this form, but Link could sense he was smirking.

"No piece of artillery will protect you from the Space Pirates. That's why I have a mask that can." Link shrugged and hopped into the cockpit. Zelda seated herself in the passenger car, and, with a puff of steam, the train set off for the forest realm. During the trip, they both felt very uneasy. Zelda, in her mind, deduced quickly it was due the shadows that now seeped in the tracks. She took a look outside to check on the Tower of Spirits. It looked… okay. No shadow, no monsters…

_Shouldn't the Dark Spirit sense the energy given off by the tower? Or is he ignoring it?_

**In due time, foolish girl… **Zelda froze, suddenly becoming very aware of her surroundings. It was The Makuta. She heard his grating, guttural voice booming in her mind. Once again, why was she the target? Was it her sacred energies? Or was it the link to Ancient Hyrule that her grandmother spoke of? Either way, it was severely unsettling, and she could not allow it to continue. Then, she heard another voice, or voices in her thoughts. They were… deep, powerful voices, but not grating like the Dark Spirit. They were gentle, and even felt_ divine_.

To save yourself…

and your people…

you must find us.

We lie below the deep earth…

We lie underneath the vast sky…

We lie hidden from the sun and stars…

Zelda reflected on this new information. She felt… refreshed and secure, even if only slightly disturbed. The obvious riddle was solvable, but not by a simple thought. It could take hours upon days of thinking. _I can worry about it later. For now, let's just focus on finding those makoki stones._ But she could not, not with that pang of familiarity that came with the vision. So many strange things had been occurring when Mata Nui arrived. Why was that? What else was he, the Guardian and even The evil Makuta himself hiding from her and Link?_ One day, when all this is said and done, I will find out the truth behind all this._

The train entered the forest. The woods seemed more ominous than before, as if the very essence of the place was… corrupted. _I don't know what specifically happened to cause this_, Link thought. But he knew that it was a sure sign the Master of Shadows' influence seemed to reach here. The forest was… dead. No strange enemies, no cries of woodland life …_ nothing._ Mata Nui felt this before. The forests in the Black Spike Mountains on Spherus Magna were just as lifeless, save a few of the disbanded Rock Tribe. But still it was eerie to see this… Link took a quick glance at the sky. It was getting dark, and it was a terrible idea to stop. Luckily, they were nearing Whittleton, the kingdom's lumber source. The train kept charging forward until they reached the station.

Mata Nui had decided it would be best to remain nearby the train. The three sat by a fire, warming themselves due to the unnatural chill of the woods. Mata Nui occasionaly darted his eyes here and there, keeping a steady eye on all movement._ At times like this, I wish I had a Mask of Night vision._

"Link," he said, catching the young boy's attention, "your blade… I sense light energy emanating from it."

"Oh, this," he said, pulling out the sword, "This is the Lokomo Sword. It was given to me by a freeing. I used it to defeat Malladus. I was thinking, would it be effective against the Dark Spirit? I mean, I thought light would be the ultimate weapon against creatures of shadow."

"At one time, perhaps it would have been effective against him. But he has powered himself up to the point where he has eliminated that weakness. Surges of my mask's power will slow him down, but not for too long."

"Oh," said Link, slightly disheartened.

"Do you know how to wield that sword, Link?" Link brightened.

"Oh, of course! The captain of the Royal Guard said I was one of the best, if not _the_ best!" Mata Nui smirked. He rose, unlimbering his own blade.

"Then perhaps it is time to begin refining your skill. Even the best can get better."

"MN, you're way too tall!" Mata Nui smiled.

"That can be fixed." He then miniaturized himself so he was exactly Link's height. Zelda, who had remained silent, watched with intrigue. Link readied himself. Mat Nui just held his sword. He then signaled to begin with a nod. Link charged forward, thinking this would be over soon. But Mata Nui's defense was impenetrable. He blocked every strike thrown, even the spin attack. He was not even knocked backward! And soon, Link had fatigued, giving Mata Nui an opening. He entered a sword lock with him, but that did not last long, for the Great Spirit easily disarmed him. Link was very surprised. In just a few minutes, he was beaten with on offensive strike. Mata Nui smiled once more at the dumbfounded Link. "You have much to learn."

The three were again sitting by the fire. Zelda broke the silence by asking

"Could you tell me more about the Great Beings that the Dark Spirit spoke of, Mata Nui?" Mata glanced at her and breathed in in so he could begin the legend.

"The Great Beings' origins were never truly explained. It was said by the inhabitants of my home that they were born in the beginning of time itself, and brought with them great knowledge and amazing power. They lived to create, and many of their creations still exist today. They eventually arrived to assist my people hundreds of thousands of years ago, and eventually settled there. But then they mysteriously disappeared when a great disaster befell us. I have spent 400,000 years searching for them, but to no avail." The first thought that struck Zelda was Mata Nui age. What species could live that long was unknown to her. But then she thought about her vision. Were they the Great Beings? No, they couldn't be. They did disappear, as Mata Nui said. But was it possible that the Great Beings came to Hyrule at one time?

_Before this is all said and done, I'll find an answer to that question. Perhaps what the Great Beings left behind is our last hope._

Author's notes: Finally, the new chapter is up! School can just kill sometimes… Anyway, I hope y'all like it! I would definitely appreciate some reviews.


	10. UPDATE PLEASE READ

UPDATE

Sorry there have not been any chapters as of late (almost 4 months). The reason? It starts with an Sch- ends in a –ool. My finals are going on, so I'm making this little update to tell you that chapter 10 will be up on May 30th or before then. And it will be worth the wait, 'cause our heroes will see their first true temple. Until then, peace!


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